This invention relates to handling bulk materials, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for handling and dispensing closures from bulk containers.
Tens of billions of closures for containers are sold in the U.S. per year, including those for carbonated beverages, hot-filled food and drink, sauces, jellies, and the like, and those for non-food or drink products. The number of such containers and closures is expected to increase as plastic containers replace those formed of other materials. Handling such vast quantities of containers and closures facilitate material handling innovation.
Typically, bins containing closures are shipped from the closure manufacturer to a user, such as a bottler or like filler. The process for installing the closures on the particular containers, often referred to as capping, conventionally is a high-speed, automated process. Prior art methods and apparatus lack the capability to unload partial quantities of bins and often require complete emptying of the bin before another bin can be unloaded, among other drawbacks.